a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to treating maladies in mammalian joints and more specifically to transplanting biological fluids in mammalian joints for therapeutic benefit.
b. Description of the Background
Various methods of treating joint maladies have been attempted dating back to the origins of human and veterinary medicine. Most of these treatments fall under the realm of either medicines or modalities. Medicinal treatments typically involve the adding of some type of chemical agent, either topically or systemically to the affected patient. Modality treatments such as heat, ice, electrical stimulation, physical manipulation or the like are performed on the affected joint or surrounding tissue. The modality treatments seek to induce a physiological change in the targeted area that stimulates or promotes healing. The transplantation of biological fluids from one part of a single host to another, in order to affect a therapeutic state, has been attempted for at least 30 years.
For example, synovial fluid has been harvested from “good” joints in horses and transplanted into “bad” joints of the same animal with limited success. One of the primary drawbacks in using this technique is that it assists one joint at the expense of others. By using the synovial fluid from donor animals to transplant into the affected joint of an ailing recipient, a new series of challenges come into play. Transmittal of pathogens, disease and infection to the recipient, as well as various negative immunological responses of the host to donor tissue can arise. If any cellular component of the donor animal fluid or other contaminant is exchanged, infection and/or rejection issues can arise that can be more detrimental to the animal than the malady that was initially being treated. The use of donor fluids that have been screened for pathogens and cellular components has been contemplated with limited success mainly due to the volatility and shelf life of the biological fluids. Synovial fluid, for example, begins to degrade within hours of being removed from the host and conventional preservation techniques have not been able to suspend this deterioration in a manner that is conducive to practical use. A method is therefore needed to preserve synovial fluids for extended periods to allow these fluids to be stored and transplanted in other animals at a later time.